


Who Lives and Who Dies (Who Holds on to Our Lives?)

by Huntress8611



Series: The Life of a Semi-Stable 100 Year Old Man (and His Spider-Child) [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone's alive, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve doesn't do the thing, they're only trapped in the soul stone for 2 years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 01:36:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18713863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress8611/pseuds/Huntress8611
Summary: AVENGERS: ENDGAME SPOILERS“NO!” he screamed, bolting upright and hitting his head into something solid.“Hey, hey, котенок, you’re safe, it was just a dream,” Bucky said, pulling the boy into his arms.“Dad? You-” he broke off, a sob escaping. “You and- you- Uncle Steve- everyone- Thanos-”“No, no no, hey, Thanos is dead, we killed him. Everyone’s back, your Uncle Steve and I are fine,” Bucky said.





	Who Lives and Who Dies (Who Holds on to Our Lives?)

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this work is from the song Who Tells Your Story by The Roots ft. Ingrid Michaelson & Common from the Hamilton Mixtape.
> 
> I wrote this all in one go after I finished watching Avengers: Endgame. Needless to say, that movie fucked me up EPICALLY. I brought a box of tissues to the theater and used, like, half of it. I wrote this while listening to the song that the title is from, Who Tells Your Story by The Roots ft. Ingrid Michaelson & Common from the Hamilton Mixtape. Listen to it while thinking about Infinity War and Endgame at your own risk.

_“Mr. Stark? I don't feel so good…” Peter said, terrified, looking down at his hand and seeing it begin to turn to dust._

_“You're all right,” Tony said frantically, trying to convince not just Peter, but also himself._

_“I don't know what's- I don't know what's happening. I don't-” He fell against Tony. “Save me, save me! I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, sir, please.” He let out a cry, the pain of his powers trying to heal his body as it was being ripped apart becoming too much to handle. “Please, I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go!”_

_He opened his eyes and saw…_

_“Jesus?!”_

_“No, not Jesus, kid,” said Bucky, somehow managing a smile. “I’m Bucky Barnes. What’s your name?”_

_“Peter. Peter Parker. What- Where-”_

_“Hey, kid, breathe,” Bucky said softly, setting a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “I hate to have to say this, but we’re kinda dead.”_

_The scene changed, and suddenly it was almost two years later. Peter and Bucky stepped through a portal, side by side, onto a battlefield. Thanos was there. He didn’t have the gauntlet, and they had to keep it that way at all costs. Peter managed to grab it from T’Challa before the enemy did._

_He turned to the side and saw Bucky fighting Thanos with Steve, and time seemed to slow. He watched, frozen, as Thanos’ sword stabbed them both through the heart at the same time-_

“NO!” he screamed, bolting upright and hitting his head into something solid.

“Hey, hey, котенок, you’re safe, it was just a dream,” Bucky said, pulling the boy into his arms.

“Dad? You-” he broke off, a sob escaping. “You and- you- Uncle Steve- everyone- _Thanos-”_

“No, no no, hey, Thanos is dead, we killed him. Everyone’s back, your Uncle Steve and I are fine,” Bucky said, realizing which nightmare he Peter’d had this time.

“He- he killed us. We- were back, but he- it _hurt-_ then- then we were back, and- and he- you were- he killed you. He killed you _again-_ really killed you- you and Ste- Steve.”

“No, котенок. He didn’t kill us, promise. I’m right here.”

“What about- What about Uncle Steve? He’s not here- Oh god, he’s dead, he’s dead-”

“No, he’s sleeping in our room, he’s fine. You want to go see him?” Bucky asked.

Peter nodded his head so quickly that Bucky thought it might fall off.

“Alright, up we go, крошка,” he said, scooping Peter up in his arms.

Peter didn’t protest at all, and that was how Bucky knew that this was one of the worse nights. Peter usually hated being carried. Well, he acted like he did at least, but Bucky knew he secretly loved it. Once, when he hadn’t slept for almost 72 hours, Bucky had picked him up to take him to bed and he’d admitted that he actually liked it when Bucky picked him up, that it made him feel safe.

Bucky nudged the door to his and Steve’s room open with his foot and Steve rolled over at the creaking sound it made.

“Buck? Peter?” he murmured, confused. “What’s wrong?”

Bucky sat down on the bed and leaned up against the headboard. Steve opened his mouth to ask something, but Peter chose that moment to let out another muffled sob. Steve sat up quickly and reached for Peter before hesitating, looking to Bucky for confirmation. At Bucky’s nod, he gently pushed the hair out of Peter’s face.

“What’s wrong, leanbh?” he murmured.

“Uncle Steve,” Peter gasped, opening his eyes and reaching a hand towards him.

Steve took the boy’s hand, gently squeezing it.

“What happened, Peter?” he asked again, concerned.

“You’re alive?” he whispered.

“Yeah. I’m alive, I’m right here, kid.” He looked at Bucky and asked, “Buck, what happened?”

“Nightmare,” Bucky murmured, gently tracing circles on the kid’s back.

Now that he knew they were alive, Peter’s panic shifted rather than dying down.

“I- Dad, it hurt- it hurt so bad. I fell apart, don’t let me- don’t let me fall apart again- please, don’t- I can’t-”

“I know it did, котенок. I know. It’s over now, though. You’re alive, you’re not falling apart anymore,” Bucky said.

“But- Dad, I am- I feel it- I can feel myself- I’m falling apart. I don’t wanna go, not again-”

“We won’t let you, Peter,” Steve said, wrapping his arms around them both and squishing Peter between them. “You’re not falling apart, we’ll hold you together. We’ve gotcha, leanbh.”

“Dad, Steve-” he gasped, tears still streaming down his face.

“Shh, котенок. Still feel it? Do you need us to hold you tighter, крошка?” Bucky asked.

Peter nodded quickly and Bucky carefully pulled his arms out from where they were squished between Peter and Steve, wrapping the around Steve. They both tightened their hold on each other, squeezing Peter hard enough that it would have crushed a normal human. The first time they’d done this Bucky and Steve had been terrified of hurting him, but soon realized that he could take a lot more than this and that it was really the only thing that helped him when he felt like this.

Bucky and Steve felt Peter slowly untense between them and both let out relieved sighs.

“Hey, Peter, feel a little better?” asked Steve, not letting go. He could felt Peter nod and continued with, “You need us to keep holding you?” Peter nodded. “Okay, leanbh. Tell us when you think we can let you go. Take your time.”

Peter continued to relax his muscles, working on controlling his breathing. After about 10 minutes, he took a deep breath.

“Can you- slowly?” he said, stumbling over the words, hoping he got his message across.

Bucky slowly loosened his grip on Steve and slid his arms back around Peter before Steve began to slowly loosen his hold on the two of them. Peter tucked his face into the crook of Bucky’s neck and the man instinctively reached up to cp the back of his head.

“Better now, крошка?” Bucky asked softly, running his fingers through his son’s hair.

Peter nodded and yawned, exhausted.

“Do you think you might be able to fall back asleep?” Peter tensed, prompting Bucky to clarify. “You can stay here, Peter.”

“I’ll try, Dad,” he said.

Bucky, with Steve’s help, managed to get both of them under the covers without jostling Peter too much. Steve turned towards the two and threw an arm over them.

“Goodnight, Peter,” Steve whispered, chuckling when he got a snore in response. “Sleep tight.”

He pecked Bucky on the lips, telling him goodnight as well before drifting off to sleep, content, holding his partner and kid safely in his arms.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Translations:**  
>  крошка (kroshka) - baby, bud, poppet  
> котенок (kotenok) - kitten  
> leanbh - baby, child
> 
> (Bucky's are in Russian and Steve's are in Irish.)


End file.
